Mandala Books
2 total works
Taliesin, Chief Bard of Britain and Celtic shaman, was a historical figure who lived in Wales during the latter half of the sixth century. Encoded within his work are the ancestral beliefs of the Celtic and pre-Celtic peoples. In addition, his verse is established as a direct precursor to the Arthurian Legends--and Taliesin himself, shaman and shapeshifter, is said to be the direct forebear to Merlin. Though the bard's work is steeped in the rich traditions of druidic practice, few have explored the revelations of his writings--the secret poetic language of the bards, revelatory information about divination, the ancient mysteries of the Druids, and the cosmological rites that were central to Celtic worship. John Matthews, one of today's preeminent Celtic scholars, sheds new light on the poems of Taliesin and on the vast body of allusion, story, and myth that grew from his body of work and shamanic practice. With the help of fellow Celtic scholar Caitlin Matthews, the author presents completely new translations of Taliesin's major poems in their entirety, uncovering the meanings behind these great works for the first time.
Seeking out the presence of the Goddess from pre-Christian spirituality to the present day, this book draws mainly on sources from within the Western tradition. Caitlin Matthews reveals the many images of the Goddess as the Saviour Goddess, the Gnostic Sophia, World Soul, apocalyptic Virgin and many others. In doing so she shows how the foundation mysteries of the Goddess underlie the esoteric streams of orthodox religions and traces her hermetic presence in Qabala and alchemy. In conclusion, the author tracks her appearance in the realms of Goddess religion, feminist theology and the New Age.